Home Canned BBQ Sauce

Well, here I am again. The garden did excellent until Olen died ... then it kind of got neglected for a month or so. I did what I could, but this morning I was really thankful for the break in the weather; such a beautiful morning to spend extra time in the garden. That's always therapeutic. I've been getting a lot of tomatoes and generally have been able to keep up with preserving them. Last year I freeze dried ALL of the tomatoes and turned it into powder. I still have 4 - quart jars of powder left, so this year I'm focusing on canning what I call a "neutral sauce" (sauce with basic seasonings that can be anything you want it to be), and I also wanted to make some BBQ sauce. I did a small batch yesterday and I believe it was a great success!! I was sure to record what I did, just in case. Before I share the recipe, though, I wanted to share a picture of the winter squash I'm growing this year ... just right for small families and single people! (see the quarter at the bottom ... that's to help show the size. Each one weighs around 1lb)

Burpee's Butterbush Butternut

Ok, now on to the sauce.

It might help if you have already processed tomatoes before? Hopefully what I say will make sense to you even if you have never processed them before.

My notes say, "Almost 2 quart mark of reduced tomato juice." That's the 2 quart mark on one of my bigger pots. "Reduced tomato juice" - cut your ripe tomatoes into chunks, simmer gently for about a half hour until soft, and then run through a strainer or food mill. That's what I would call "tomato juice". No water added, no skins, no seeds, and it's really runny. Now you take that "tomato juice" and simmer it gently until it's reduced by about half. There's your "almost 2 quart mark of reduced tomato juice."

Add to that (all organic, if possible):
1 1/4c brown sugar
1c raw apple cider vinegar
2t garlic granules 
2t onion granules
2t paprika
1t celery seed, crushed with a mortar and pestle (maybe you can find already ground celery seed?)
1t smoked paprika
1t black pepper
1t dry mustard powder
1t Wright's Liquid Hickory Smoke (this was what I found locally [Ramey's] that was non-GMO with no funky ingredients; you may prefer "mesquite"? or something else ... just be careful because a little seems to go a long way.) 

Mix well and simmer gently until it's as thick as you want it. Be sure to stir several times throughout so nothing sticks and burns to the bottom. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Be sure to write down any adjustments you make so you can remember for next time. :) 

Fill HOT jars to 1/4"-1/2" head space.

I used half pints and processed in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. I'm sure 20 minutes would also be fine for pints, however if you actually feel / have the need to make quart jars of bbq sauce, I'd up the time to 25 minutes.

My batch as written above made 6 - 1/2 pints with a little to spare. 

That's all for now. I'll try to be more mindful to post on here. 
Have a wonderful day! j